Page 151 - Records of Bahrain (1) (ii)_Neat

Civil war in Bahrain, 1840-1847 509

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given to tlio Wahlnibis, which might lcutl to an invasion by them of
'Omiui territory; • the excuse which would be afforded to Persia for
espousing* the cause of the ex-Shaikh ; and the veto which had already
been placed by the British Government on action by the Shaikhs of
Sharjah and l)ibai.
b’oooud -visit In December 1843 the ex-Shaikh 'Abdullah, accompanied by six
of tho ex-
J'hnikh to armed vessels, again visited Bushchr with the object of influencing
llubholir, the British political representative in his favour; but lie declined to
Dccombor
1843 to agree to an interview on board a vessel in the harbour, chiefly, it was
March 1844. suspected, because he meant to make use of a visit to tho ltcsidency as
a screen for a secret meeting with his sympathiser Shaikh Salman. lie
proceeded however to press, in writing, a request for British assistance,
mainly ou the grounds that he had rejoctcd overtures by the Wahhabi
Amir which tended to the establishment of Wahhabi influence over
Bahrain, and that ho was entitled, as a signatory of the General Treaty
of Peace, to tho naval protection of Great Britain. These arguments,
howover, were refuted ; and tho claims of tho ex-Shaikh to British aid
were disallowed.
A few days after his arrival at Bushchr Shaikh 'Abdullah landed and
was received with much distinction by the local authorities, probably
under orders from Shiraz; three volleys of musketry were fired in his
honour by the Persian regular troops ; and he was provided with quurtcrs
in a bastion of tho fortifications, his followers being at tho same time
accommodated in tents. IJ16 vessels, of which only two now remained, were
brought into a backwater and drawn up on shore. It was soon rumoured
that Shaikh 'Abdullah had applied to tho Persian Government for the loan
of 100 raouutcd men aud 500 infantry, and that he had offered, if success­
ful in recovering Bahrain, to repay tho expenses of this force, to remit in
future a large annual tributo to the Shah, and to leave one of his sons
= in Porsia as p hostago for fulfilment of the contract. Bor three months
Shaikh 'Abdullah lingered at Bushchr, awaiting, but in vain, tho
acceptance of his proposals by the Persian Government.
In January 1814 the Shaikh, in a correspondence with tho British
UeBident, resorted to tho argument that he had been lulled into a
false security, while still in possession of Bahrain, by the neglect of the
British authorities to reply to cortaiu of his communications,—a conten­
tion which was not admitted; and immediately before liis departure,
probably in March 1844, he had a personal interview with the Besident,
at which he again pleaded hard, but unsuccessfully, for tho countenance of
tho British Government. It was clear that tho hopes which ho had at
first placed in tho Porsian Government had been disappointed.